More students have been skipping school since the COVID-19 pandemic, and Georgia lawmakers are looking into the problem. Macon State Senator, John Kennedy, will chair a new study committee on combating chronic absenteeism in schools.
Kennedy was the chief co-sponsor of Senate Bill 123, which Gov. Brian Kemp signed last month. It amends Georgia’s compulsory attendance law for students ages 6 through 15, with chronic absenteeism defined as missing 10% or more of the school year.
That law already requires superior court judges to establish and oversee student attendance and school climate committees in each county. The percentage of chronically absent students climbed to 23.9% in 2022 before settling at 21.3% last year.
